If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Originally posted by Hasbro'sBountyHunter Anyone read the July issue of ToyFare? It lists a bunch of convention exclusives and one of the exclusive figures is none other than KELDOR. According to the article, has 3 faces: Keldor, melted faced Keldor, and Skeletor. Too bad I don't have a scanner, 'cause it has a pic of the melted faced Keldor and it looks cool!

Originally posted by El Chuxter I found Ice Armor He-Man today, which means I missed Man-E-Faces!

Okay, now they're comin' way too fast! Glad to see Mattel seems to have finally fixed the problem with shipping and distribution! I also managed to find Two Bad this morning, and the store even had several Whiplashes. I'm beggining to get hopeful that new figures aren't going to be impossible to find anymore.

Yep, one of the Targets near me had a wall full of Whiplashes, Two Bads and a few others ... haven't seen Buzz-Off. Apparently Mattel knows enough to start putting new toys on the shelves right when the kids get off for summer break. (Not that all we've been doing is sitting around playing with toys all day ... errr, no.)

I finally found Whiplash and Two Bad myself today... and once again, I'm shaking my head. *sigh*

Okay, time and time again I say that the Four Horsemen really know what they're doing. They create awesome sculpts for these characters and I will never dispute that.
What I'm tired of (as I've said time and time again also) is the action gimmicks. They really suck.

Whiplash I thought was going to be okay. I thought maybe he'd have a bendy tail of sorts - one where you'd pull it back and then let it fling. That almost would have been tolerable, considering his character. But no. It has to be connected to an internal mechanism with a obtrusive button sticking out. Once again a beautiful sculpt is ruined.
Not only that, but my figure's head joint is loose and the head wobbles back and forth. And it seems that Mattel is taking to Hasbro's ways of doing things, making the accessories out of spongy, play-doh like material. I almost couldn't get the weapon in his hand because I thought it was going to rip.

I was thinking, "At least Two Bad doesn't have a button," but this figure really doesn't need one to make it horrible. I hate the action feature, of course, but it's just stupid regardless. The way you pull the arms, it makes them fling upwards. Shouldn't they swing downward?
And again I must comment on the spongy material of at least one of the accessories (the shield seems okay) and I can't even turn the head of the blue-colored side (I forget that sides original name - maybe it's Tuvar, I don't know). It's stuck and it feels like it's going to tear off. I guess I could try the freezer trick for it, but I'm afraid to. I have had to do that a lot in the past couple of months and I still end up with parts ripping off.

I was going to stop buying these figures anyway, stopping short of these two, Evil Lyn and maybe one or two more of the other Masters being released (Buzz Off or Man-E-Faces). But now I don't even think I want those. I'm afraid I'll just be as dissappointed with them as I am with every other Masters figure.
I was even warming up the idea of buying figures based on Series 2 (the whole Snake armor stuff), but now I'm passing... meh.

End...

They call them fingers, and yet they don't fing. Noodle that one for a while.
__________________"Logic dictates we haul @$$." - Mego Spock from Twisted Toyfare Theater; Issue #59
__________________"I'm a rage-aholic! I just can't live without rage-ahol!"

Strange, I had the exact opposite opinion of each of the figures you mentioned. I haven't had a problem at all with any of the action features so far (they've all seemed pretty appropriate to me given the nature of the line, and I haven't found any of them to be terribly obtrusive or distracting considering; I've actually even gotten a decent amount of fun from them), all of my figures stand up just fine by themselves (even on carpet!), and I haven't had a problem with any of the joints on any of my figures so far (maybe I'm just lucky?). The only problem I've ever had with any of them was how difficult it had been to find new figures for awhile; it seems that problem has more or less been solved. Oh well, to each his own I suppose! Just means there'll be more for me, I guess!

This is probably the only line where the action gimmicks seem appropriate. (He-Man toys have always been about the gimmick anyway.) The accessories, as much as I agree that it kind of sucks, are made from that softer plastic for safety reasons. I know, I agree ... hard plastic would feel better, but not when it's lodged in some kids trachea after he/she has swallowed it. (Remember, all it takes is one dumb kid to ruin it for the rest of us. I was playing with toys back when that kid supposedly shot a Battlestar Galactica missile down his throat and then all the toy companies stopped using the little missiles. I had those Galactica toys BTW and never shot a missle into my lungs. Not even once.) As far as quality goes ... only problem we've had at all so far is that Tri-Klops' head snapped off. It's held on by the clear plastic piece that light shines through on top. That plastic is brittle and if Tri-Clops gets too rough with Man-At-Arms then ... SNAP. (Oddly enough I'd say his head then became a choking hazard at that point, luckily my son's smart enough not to swallow Tri-Klops' head. Something we should all avoid.)

I'm sorry that I can't share your optimistic appraisal of the situation () - I really am. I've said it before but I had been looking forward to the launch of this new line ever since I saw the pictures in Toyfare a long time ago. I was just expecting better.

But, RooJay, one thing I need to ask you. You said that you don't believe that any of the action features are obtrusive? Well, I just want to know if you feel that way about Ram Man and Stratos in particular.
I can deal with Ram Man a little better than I can with Stratos. But Stratos, uh uh, I can't stand this figure - it's absolutely worthless with that action feature, IMO. I think this figure should have had ball joint shoulders, should have been able to position them upward, like he's flying. It's so stupid that his arms can only "flap" up and down... No one agrees with me on that?
And Ram Man... how cool would it have been if he had had normal legs and was able to be positioned slightly bent, with one leg back, looking like he was about to charge? With his action feature, he can only "ram" up. Who's he supposed to ram like that? Is he supposed to hit their chins?
And, yeah, I know they're only toys, but c'mon, we're living in a different age now. Action gimmicks died in the 80's - that's why they're not flying with Star Wars figures either. I would get a heck of a lot more play value from a Ram Man like i described, and definitely more out of the Stratos I descibed (and where are his wrist-mounted lasers, anyway?). I'm also a huge advocate of extra articulation. Shouldn't He-Man and Prince Adam be able to grip their respective power swords with two hands? And hold them up towards the sky? I mean, that's something that those characters do too (an argument I hear for most action features... "Well, that character does do that, so the action feature is okay...")

I've just always felt that action features hinder a figure. It's like the company is telling you how to play with that toy. Like, I think that Whiplash's tail should be able to be positioned in any way I want - but I can't do that. I want Trap Jaw to actually aim his weapon at a Master - can't do it because it springs back down. I want Beast Man to pick up Man-at-Arms - can't do that either (I know I've mentioned a lot of these, but I don't know if I've said them in this thread or another).
And I'm no fan of over-posed figures either (that's why I have a tiny problem with Teela [only because my Teela is twisted at the waist all the time], Orko and Tri-Klops). Maybe I want Tri-Klops standing near some kind of control panel (maybe like the one inside Castle Grayskull), working on one of his inventions or plans... Well, that doesn't look too good when he looks like he's about to fight with it... And I don't even want to get started on the size of the peg sticking out of his back... That thing is huge.

I just think this line could be SO much better. And I could deal with some gimmicks, if they were handled right. Like Mek-a-Neck, I know there is a need for his long neck. But the way it was handled on the current figure is ridiculous. You have to turn his torso completely one way for his neck to raise up. You should just be able to pull it out all the way and turn his torso whatever way YOU want to. And, for Man-E-Faces, yeah, I can see the need for a gimmick... but just for the changing of his faces (I haven't found this figure yet, so I don't know if it sucks or not).
But there are a lot of figures that don't need action features. He-Man, Skeletor, Teela, Mer-Man, Beast Man, Trap Jaw, Tri-Klops. But especially He-Man and Skeletor. I would love to see a super articulated set, so that He-Man could have a two-handed grip on the sword and so Skeletor could do the same (and also with his Havoc staff - I can do a two handed grip on the staff now, but it bends in the middle...)

Just my 50 cents though ('cause ya know, it's more than 2...oh, never mind )

End...

They call them fingers, and yet they don't fing. Noodle that one for a while.
__________________"Logic dictates we haul @$$." - Mego Spock from Twisted Toyfare Theater; Issue #59
__________________"I'm a rage-aholic! I just can't live without rage-ahol!"